What Happened with Big Box Music Stores?

[TJH3113]

Where is best store in all of USA to find the top basses now? I remember nice one in Seattle since 20 years ago, but is gone last visit I make. If you could only enter one store in whole country to find dream bass, which you choose these days?

Bass Central in Florida or Ish in upstate NY?

 

[Rnr..........4]

I was going into a local small music business here to occasionally pick up a precision and the third time was told off and said three times is their limit to try guitars out.. he said this as the few basses they had hanging on the wall are greasy and marked up. Was enough to put me off going back there.

 

[Hummergeist]

Wonder if a business that allows musicians to try out high end gear for a fee would be viable. Kind of like those that let you drive the super expensive cars around a track.

Yeah I like this idea, good comparison with the race cars. A bunch of companies chip in and supply a few instruments, then have a day like a music trade show, where the builders share the costs, and make some money selling merchandise and providing social media photo ops. Be a rockstar for the day, and btw here's your discount coupon. And buy a t-shirt, strings, get a photo for your IG, etc etc etc. Then after a few shows, the used guitars get signed and auctioned off, or something like that. Good for everybody.

 

[groovaholic]

I bet the one in the wealthy suburb of Schaumburg still has some higher end fun.

I think you mean the Arlington Heights store, and unfortunately it’s pretty much all Fender, Ibanez, Schecter and Jackson basses. Amps are Acoustic, Markbass, Fender and Ampeg combos.

 

[Nebula24]

Curse of shortie bass player. Affects bass in general too.

Massive wall of guitars.
Small wall of basses.
3 or 4 shorties and always the same.

 

[Jscriv]

They cater to the beginning player now. It's understandable but it sucks having to order things to try it and then try to recoup your money if you don't like it, especially if you don't wanna sell online and ship.

 

[buldog5151bass]

The internet hurt, especially as people "test drove" in stores, and then bought on line to save a few pennies (and because they wanted something fresh and unplayed).

 

[6-3-2]

GC in my town has entry-level basses. Mostly Squiers, MIM Fenders, etc. I have to go to Elderly to play the USA Fenders. I did see a Markbass amp at GC once but it’s mostly Rumbles.

At Elderly you can play anything that’s hanging on the wall. You don’t even have to ask. I play 5k mandolins there frequently. They will let you play the high $$ stuff, but it’s probably not hanging on the wall.

Elderly is really of one the best music stores. Wish the world had more places like that. Proper musicians and great techs.

 

[DwaynieAD]

As for high end bassed, I think it's about location and demand.

The GC near me on the South Side has been crap for years now.

The one on the North side isn't as good as it used to be, but always seems to have a few high end goodies.

The one in in Villa Park used to have allot in the mid 00s when I worked there. Now it's a wasteland.

Haven't been there recently, but I bet the one in the wealthy suburb of Schaumburg still has some higher end fun.

Seeing the trend?

This is probably true. I'd expect to see more basses on the wall in Nashville than I would see In a town that got its first red-light in 2012

 

[jemerpi]

I think it also depends on who runs the store. There is a local L&M north of Toronto, that is managed by a bass player and they stock F basses, Foderas, Dingwalls and would be happy to order whatever you wanted.

Yeah, at the end of the day, I find L&M stores around Toronto to be incredibly helpful. The store nearest you may not have what you need, but another one will. And, they have always been great about getting whatever I need into my hands. L&M actually has a cool website: gearhunter.ca to help search for all kinds of deals. I just used it a couple months to get a sweet deal on a like new demo. The bass was actually in a store several hours away from Toronto, but they transferred it in to the nearest one for free.

 

[Jxff]

Next time your see a Amazon rocket launching, that's where your high end basses went, to pay for the rocket.

 

[Nedmundo]

Not a big box store by any means, but there was a wonderful bass-centric store, Bass Specialties, in Bensalem, PA, just outside of Philly. Glenn, the proprietor, great guy, carried mostly mid to high end basses and amps. It is where I got my Genz amps and Bergantino speakers. He would host clinics and master classes by top-tier players, usually at very low cost or free. I’m sure that Glenn wasn’t directly making any money on those. He really created a very special place for bassists. He had to close because too many people were coming in trying out gear (he really had to watch because some overly aggressive slappers especially were abusing the gear) then buying online to save what amounted to just a few dollars. Glenn provided a worthwhile service, that deserved to be paid for. I would tell everybody that it was in our own best interest to make Glenn a rich man. It is unfair and ultimately unwise to only consider the perceived upfront price and ignore the true cost of providing the service. There is no free lunch. If trying out gear before buying is important - I certainly think so - then the cost of that service should be paid for in the upfront price.

I still miss Glenn and Bass Specialties, where I bought my wonderful G&L JB, an Epifani cab, and lots of accessories. I also sold some basses there on consignment. I wasn't aware why he closed, but I saw similar behavior in the shop and I could tell it bothered him, so I'm not surprised. He's a great dude.

As for inventory at the big box stores, IME it varies considerably by location. The GC and Sam Ash in Manhattan carry more high end stuff than the Philly metro locations (and any others I've seen). I still see Rics at Sam Ash stores around here and it's not too hard to find Fender American Ultra guitars and basses--or at least it wasn't before the pandemic--but that's about as high as it goes, apart from some very expensive used instruments.

 

[Basslice]

I bought my first bass in 1988, a Yamaha BB1100S from an actual Yamaha music dealer in Vermont. I still have the bass. Back then, the only way you could buy a bass was in a store or maybe newspaper ad used. Back then, quality was a big problem, so if you wanted a decent instrument, you really needed to check it out.

Fast forward a few decades and things have changed a lot - I would argue for the better for most players at all levels.

• Quality has gone through the roof. CNC machines and QC for nearly every kind of component is 200% better than it was in the '80s
• The idea that you needed a boutique bass is somewhat dampened these days. There was a time that maybe you wanted the bass the Phil Lesh or Flea or John Pattatucci played - and maybe there is still some of that - but for the most part, I think the idea that a custom or handmade bass were going to bring you to the next level is dampened.
• Online shopping: you can get anything you want online and you can return it. It is a strong fact that is attractive to both the consumer and seller.

Now to counter this, I still will spend my cash in the real store. Why? I like to walk into a music store and be immersed in the music world. I am not talking about the BB stores so much, because service and attention has never been all that great in those stores in the 20th or 21st centuries.

Many of my bigger ticket items I have bought in local stores. I appreciate the people that work there and the local "tax" is worth it to me. They aren't jerks.

I have never been convinced that owning a boutique bass would make me happier or change how I sound to people that listen to my music. I would imagine that it must be hard to make a living selling custom instruments in an age where a mass produced instrument can be so darn good.

 

[PennyroyalWe]

Whatever happened with Big Box music stores. I recall, seemingly not too long ago, you could buy really nice mid-level to high-level bass guitars from the Big Box music stores. Brands new like Pedulla, Zon, Modulus, Warwick, Rick, Lakeland, Fender Custom Shop, Ken Smith, etc. Yeah, some of the names I listed may no longer be in business. Now, if you see a nice mid-tier bass in the store, its used. What happened that they are no longer selling mid-tier new in the Big Box music stores?

What are you considering mid-tier? In my mind, mid tier is MIM & MIJ Fenders and comparable other brand models. Basically anything over $600. Plenty of those when I go to the stores.

Sounds to me like you’re considering $1200-$2000 to be mid tier?

 

[drumvsbass]

Let's talk about Zons. If you wanted a Zon, would you really go to a music store to BUY one? TRY one, sure. Buy though? Isn't the point of ordering a boutique bass like this is that it is to your ordered specifications? This is the reason why you probably won't find big money basses hanging in a store. The big money ones you want direct from manufacturer. If I had waited for a local store to become a Zon dealer, let alone carry a Legacy Elite with the specifications I wanted, I'd still be playing garbage Fenders.

 

[3bc]

As for high end bassed, I think it's about location and demand.

The GC near me on the South Side has been crap for years now.

The one on the North side isn't as good as it used to be, but always seems to have a few high end goodies.

The one in in Villa Park used to have allot in the mid 00s when I worked there. Now it's a wasteland.

Haven't been there recently, but I bet the one in the wealthy suburb of Schaumburg still has some higher end fun.

Seeing the trend?

The last couple times I was in Arlington Heights GC it was all crap. There might have been one nice used bass, and a few American standard type basses, and then a whole lot of crap. Used to be a very nice store.

 

[salmon256]

Exactly as others are saying. My GC had a Warwick for a bit, and it was awesome to try, but it was a used one that was traded in. It's just pure luck now, same with some other crazy basses and they get bought up pretty quick because they are used, less pricey. With online now there's not much a point mostly and if someone is lucky to find one a lot of time at least from what I see at my GC someone makes the move and buys it and like I said it's always a used never newly stock so someones more likely to buy it.

 

[salmon256]

The last couple times I was in Arlington Heights GC it was all crap. There might have been one nice used bass, and a few American standard type basses, and then a whole lot of crap. Used to be a very nice store.

I hate to attack GC a lot but I hear this and see this at so many. The one near me is smaller, but the bass section is a closet and stocks the exact same stuff as you say. There's some cool rare trade in basses but they get bought never the new things lol! It's fun to try but for me that's it, it's just fun to try and then look up used ones.

 

[E2942]

Brick & Mortar stores of specialty items are going away.
The majority of customers will come in & have a look, then go home & buy the item online.

I like getting the better price, too.
On the other hand, I like getting something in my hands and buying THAT ONE & not taking the chances that the one I order will be as good. I learned my lesson about that many years ago with a Rickenbacker.

The way people buy everything from online retailers these days is doing two things, it's taxing the system: USPS & the rest simply cannot keep up with the demand, & the stores we should be supporting locally are collapsing.
Our local Ace Hardware went out of business not long ago & now it's a Dollar General store!

It makes no sense to me, because their prices were reasonable & it's RIGHT THERE. You can just walk in & buy it, but now it's gone for good, like Radio Shack.

 

[Greg Pruitt]

What are you considering mid-tier? In my mind, mid tier is MIM & MIJ Fenders and comparable other brand models. Basically anything over $600. Plenty of those when I go to the stores.

Sounds to me like you’re considering $1200-$2000 to be mid tier?

Yeah, something like that. Been drooling over Warrior bass guitars. Used ones are in the $3000 to $5000 range. To me, those are squarely in the High-end category.